It is difficult to conceive of a man who better exemplifies the true
inventor than Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci. He represents the unique
amalgamation of the artist and scientist, as famous among the artists of
the wold for his Mona Lisa as what he
is among scientists for his myriad of inventions, ranging from robots and
weapons to bridges and flying machines. There is even evidence that he
invented the mechanical calculator. What he lacked in formal training he
more than made up for in innovation, intense concentration and devotion to
detail.

Thomas
Alva Edison

Edison
holds 1,093 United States patents in his own name. These cover a wide
range of
subjects, including the generation of electricity, recorded music, motion
pictures, and telecommunications. Where Da Vinci personified the
artist-inventor, Edison personified the businessman-inventor. While his
inventions included the stock ticker and mechanical vote recorder, it is
his incandescent electric light bulb that every school child knows about.

Kia
Silverbrook

On 26 February 2008 Australian inventor, scientist, and serial
entrepreneur Kia Silverbrook became the world's most prolific inventor as
gauged by patents awarded. Silverbrook has more than 3,900 granted U.S. utility patents
- more than Apple and Google combined. Internationally, Silverbrook has
more than 8,900 utility
patents. While his inventions range across a number of fields, inkjet
printing is the largest category.